UPDATE AUG. 6: Mammoth police seek help finding man missing since July 16; no new leads

Matthew Greene, missing since July 16 and last seen in the Mammoth Lakes area. His friends and family are maintaining a Facebook page with regualr updates on the state of the search for Greene at Find Matt Greene[3]

The search for a man last seen in Mammoth Lakes and missing since July 16 has turned up no new information, after an investigation by the Mammoth Lakes Police Department and a preliminary search this week by the Mono County Search and Rescue team members (as well as other searchers), according to law enforcement officials.

Greene, 39, an experienced climber and hiker and a teacher from Pennsylvania, was last heard from after he dropped off his car at a repair shop in Mammoth on July 16 and made a few phone calls from his cell phone.

After that call, Green’s phone was either turned off or out of power, according to Mammoth Lakes Police Detective Doug Hornbeck Tuesday, Aug. 6.

“We have a record of some calls, with the last call made at 4:33 p.m. on July 16 and that was the last call he made,” he said. He said the calls did not give any indication of where Greene might have gone.

Hornbeck said the police department has done numerous interviews and followed up every tip they have received regarding Greene’s disappearance. He said the police have gone through Green’s maps and trail guides and equipment and gear, hoping to find a clue as to where Greene might have gone after he left his car at the repair shop.

There had been some leads that suggested that perhaps Greene tore some pages out of a guidebook to take with him on a climb, but Hornbeck said the police did not find any missing pages that might give a clue as to where Greene had gone.

None of the other findings or interviews from the investigation have given police enough of an idea as to where Greene might have gone to launch a full search for the missing man, he said.

“My hands are tied right now,” he said Tuesday, Aug. 6. “We don’t have any more leads.”

Greene arrived in Mammoth Lakes on or near June 27 to hike, camp, and conquer peaks in the Eastern Sierra, according to a Mammoth Lakes police report released late last week.

“According to his family and friends, Greene is an avid hiker, rock and ice climber,” the report states.

“He was camping at Shady Rest Campground while his vehicle was being repaired at a local shop. Greene has not returned to Shady Rest Campground or picked up his car from the repair shop.

Hornbeck also said the police have also been in touch with Yosemite National Park officials, in case Greene had headed to the park.

“We have been in contact with our (Mono County) search and rescue and we talked to the Yosemite rangers and they had someone check the summit post for Mt. Lyell, in case he climbed Lyell, but there was no indication he was there,” Hornbeck said.

Due to the lack of leads as to where Green might have gone, a formal Mono County search and rescue effort has not been launched, said Jennifer Hansen, the Mono County Sheriff’s Department public information officer.

However, some members of the volunteer search and rescue team have been looking for Greene, based on the few tips that might indicate his whereabouts, she said.

“The Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team has sent ground teams to search around the Mt. Ritter/Banner Peak area,” she said in a news release on Aug. 6.

“As a training mission, a CHP helicopter, along with the assistance of Mono County SAR, did a brief search of the area, including the Minarets. To date, Mr. Greene has not been located. Due to the potential climbing destinations of Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak being outside of Mono County (the two peaks are located in Madera County although they are most often accessed from Reds Meadow in Mono County), the Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team has not been officially activated.

However, she said, the SAR team, “to actively aid the family and friends of Mr. Greene in their search efforts,” has utilized training opportunities to try and locate him.

“The SAR team has verified that no summit register entries have been entered by Mr. Greene at either peak. The SAR team is currently analyzing forest service permits and emailing permit holders to try and gather additional information regarding Mr. Greene’s location,” she said.

“The Mono County Sheriff’s Office has sent information in reference to this investigation to Madera County and the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team as their jurisdiction is potentially involved,” she said.
“At this time, Mono County SAR has not been formally requested as mutual aid in this search.”

Greene is 5’11” and weighs approximately 160 lbs. Anyone with any information on Greene’s whereabouts or other tips for this investigation are encouraged to call Detective Hornbeck at the Mammoth Lakes Police Department at 760-934-2011 or the Mono County Sheriff’s Office at 760-932-7549 ext. 7.